14 minute read
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice
Celebrating a Community of Diverse Unities
Walker’s Ward and Williams Center
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BY CARLIN CARR
Ethel Walker’s vision for launching a school for women in 1911 was a bold idea. Founded with the principles of paving the way for a better and more inclusive world, Walker’s continues to fulfill those founding ideas in new and innovative ways. Most recently, the school established the Ward and Williams Center for Equity and Justice to provide a space for continued thought, reflection and action toward creating a community of belonging, both in the classroom and beyond.
“We have spaces for sports, for the arts, and now we have a space for sanctuary and reflection,” says Dr. Meera Viswanathan, Head of School.
And while the Center may be new, the focus on justice is at the School’s very core. When Dr. Viswanathan arrived at Walker’s — the first woman of color at its helm — she knew that it carried with it the opportunity to see the school and its mission through a new lens. She began reflecting on the institution’s founding documents, including the school meditation. One line, in particular, rang in her head: “for in love lies the key to life.” The new head of school found this to be more than a concluding idea in a powerful poem, but rather, a guiding idea.
“It was a moral compass,” she says. “If love translates to our human relationships, then it asks us foundational questions about
SPHERE Consortium
In 1968, The Ethel Walker School became a founding member of SPHERE, which today is a consortium of 13 independent schools from the greater Hartford area whose mission is to encourage and assist member schools in collaboration to sustain diverse, inclusive, and culturally responsive environments for teaching and learning. Member schools seek to foster respect for difference and an understanding of multicultural perspectives in curricular and extracurricular programs.
justice and how we understand, know, and ultimately treat each other,” says Dr. Viswanathan, who herself recalls incidents she’s faced because of her skin color as an Indian-American. She sees Walker’s as a safe and open place to explore belonging and what that means — a place of “diverse unities.”
Questions of race and identity have become more urgent and pressing in recent years with the murder of George Floyd and issues of gender. She says that young people have been at the fore of not only thinking about accountability for the past but the direction forward. “They are leading us to ask questions about some of our foundational beliefs about justice,” she says.
The opening of the Ward and Williams Center in 2021 has been a key step in the ever-evolving process of becoming a better community for all. Based at the physical heart of campus, on the second floor of Beaver Brook, the center has already become a hub of activity, says Director Elisa Del Valle. “It’s a busy place. We built it and they came.”
The space, which has a giant table for working and collaborating as well as soft seating for relaxing and dialogue, also has a robust collection of related books. On the walls are photos of pioneering alumnae who reflect the broad diversity of the community. They also act as powerful reminders of how far the school has come since Casey Ward ’71 and Donna Williams ’71 — for whom the Center was named — become the first two Black women to graduate from Walker’s, joining an all-white class in 1971.
And while Del Valle describes the space as one of “joy, respite and learning,” she also says the space is a place for acknowledgement of the struggles community members such as Ward and Williams have faced. “It offers a place to reflect as a community on how Walker’s collectively can do better,” she adds.
That idea of “doing better” is always evolving and what justice looks like today is not the same as it looked in 1971. “Every day we start again and say, ‘Where are we and what we can do better?’” says Dr. Viswanathan. “Social justice is not a fixed idea.
In the 1960s, financial aid was a form of social justice. That doesn’t mean that this is the end; it’s part of a continuum.”
The ways in which the community at Walker’s is engaging with justice and inclusion is far-reaching. To start, Del Valle is also the Director of Student Life, and believes that bringing together these two areas under her purview ensures that the work of the Center is not remaining within the boundaries of the physical space. She sees its work and ideas emanating onto the playing fields and into the classroom and dorms.
AFFINITY GROUPS
Faculty Affinity Groups
The Faculty and Staff of Color Affinity Group The White Anti-Racist Educators (WARE)
Student Affinity Groups
The Asian Student Collective The Black Student Union (BSU) The Caribbean Culture Club The Latinx American Student Organization (LASO) . Wings (Gender and Sexuality Alliance) The Jewish Student Union (JSU) SHINE The Student White Anti-Racist Group
L to R: First Black Student Body President Lori Stewart ’87, Director of Social Justice and Inclusion Elisa Del Valle, Donna Williams ’71, Head of School Meera Viswanathan
At Reunion 2021, the year that marked the 50th anniversary of Walker’s first Black graduates, Cassandra “Casey” Ward ’71 and Donna Williams ’71, the Class of 1971 announced a $100,000 endowed gift to name the new Ward and Williams Center for Equity and Justice in honor of their pioneering classmates. The gift was part of a focused effort by the Class of 1971 to raise funds in celebration of their 50th reunion. Class members continue to support this endowment and the Ward and Williams Center.
RECOMMENDED READING
The following is a list of titles recommended by the leaders of our White Anti-Racist Educators (WARE) affinity group on campus.
So You Want To Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Tatum Caste, by Isabelle Wilkerson The Little Book of Restorative Justice, by Howard Zehr Waking Up White: And Finding Myself in the Story of Race, by Debby Irving White Fragility, by Robin DiAngelo How to be an Anti-Racist, by Ibram Kendi Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, by Matthew Desmond Keeping Track: How Schools Structure Inequality by Jeannie Oaks
Walker’s has also committed to offering courses at every grade level that incorporate critical thinking and understanding around equity and justice topics. There has also been an emphasis on collaborating with student groups and organizations and engaging with alumnae to further advance this work. More broadly, since 1968, Walker’s has been a founding member of SPHERE, a consortium of 13 independent schools from the Greater Hartford area collaborating to sustain diverse, inclusive, and culturally responsive environments for teaching and learning.
Back on campus, Elisa has also championed the creation of an
~ Dr. Meera Viswanathan
The Ward and Williams Center, officially named in May 2021 during Reunion, is a physical space located on the second floor of Beaver Brook, for learning, growing, and cultivating belonging in the community, across difference and through difference. “We have all done harm, experienced harm, and are accountable,” explains Elisa Del Valle, Assistant Head of Student LIfe, Director of Social Justice and Inclusion at Walker’s.
“How do we teach accountability to young people? That is the work of the Center. My hope is that the Center is where students who have been historically excluded can come for respite and also experience joy. In justice work, it’s not all hardship and isolation and being excluded. There is growth and joy that is cultivated in communities of color and in queer communities that often also goes unacknowledged.
“As an institution, we need to do a better job at holding both the complex history of historically excluded communities and the joyful and intellectual contributions that those same communities have brought to Walker’s, Simsbury, the state of Connecticut, our country, and the world. Introspection is really important, and girls need to know who they are and how they have learned before they start to do anything else in the world.”
Equity Committee, a task force that will build and implement a three- to five-year strategic plan and streamline the process for considering suggestions for foundational change across the school community in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice. And, at the heart of all of it is the Ward and Williams Center.
“If we lead with the center,” says Del Valle “at the center of the community, then we won’t lose our way.”
Dr. Viswanathan agrees. She says that the work that needs to be done is not simply a philosophy that lives only in documents and traditions. “We’re creating a place where everyone has a fuller sense of themselves on campus,” she says. “It’s our mission and mandate.”
STUDENT CONFERENCES
NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference SPHERE Student of Color Summit Jumoke’s Middle School Annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Oratory Contest CAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference Community GAYme Nights The Young Women of Color Conference (Walker’s, Choate, Miss Porter’s School, and Loomis Chaffee)
The Equity Team
The Equity Team is a taskforce created to build and implement a three- to five-year strategic plan and streamline the process for considering suggestions for foundational change across the School community related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. This fall, a selection committee reviewed applications from the Walker’s community to bolster the team with additional members; the committee was able to select a robust group of individuals based on their interests, backgrounds, and ability to identify areas that are in need of utmost support in this capacity.
The selection committee included Director of Social Justice and Inclusion Elisa Del Valle, History Faculty member John Monagan, former Interim Dean of Faculty Sarah Edson, Head of Middle School Isabel Ceballos, and Chief of Staff Heather Bucknam.
Last year, we were so pleased to welcome our initial Equity Team community members. Class Representatives Kristen St. Louis ’21, Akira Hippolyte ’22, Lauren K. ’23, Averi R. ’24, Alumnae Representative April Bolton Mwangi ’00, Middle School parent representative Dr. Stephanie McCall P’25, Upper School parent representative Gary Jones P’21, former faculty member Rebecca Rojano, and former staff member Princess Hyatt.
Dr. Veda Pendleton ’75 talks with members of the Black Student Union during a lunchtime discussion about her latest and fifth book, “Prepped: Coming of Age in Black and White America.”
Alumna Veda Pendleton ’75 Visits Walker’s to Launch Her Newest Book
Walker’s alumna Dr. Veda Pendleton ’75 came to campus for the launch of her new memoir, Prepped: Coming of Age in Black and White America. Throughout her story, Veda juxtaposes her southern upbringing with that of her prep school experience at Walker’s and comes to understand that the journey prepared her for a life living with both differences and similarities among women of all hues. A dynamic discussion was followed by a reception with Veda, whose daughter Lauren joined her for her visit. In her remarks, Veda talked about where Walker’s has been as a school, where we are and where institutions such as Walker’s are continuing on this journey.
Since the launch of her book, Veda has hosted virtual discussions, has spoken at the Association of Independent Schools in New England’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference, and has just launched a podcast called Prepped.
Interview With the Esteemed Dr. Veda Pendleton ’75
BY VANESSA LOIS ’21 AND ANASTASIA REID ’21
As students of color, Vanessa and I had a desire to interview Dr. Pendleton to gain a greater understanding of our developing sense of self within a community of people who don’t resemble similar cultures. Vanessa and I discussed life at Walker’s with Dr. Pendleton, eager to understand a time unlike our own. Vanessa and I recorded the following series of questions and responses hoping to further develop our ideas about our cultural identity and create a plan to ensure we would be recognized and understood. Through Dr. Pendleton’s thoughtful responses, we saw fragments of ourselves, sparking hope for our futures as young women of color. – Anastasia Reid ’21
What was student social life like when you attended Walker’s? Were there many class indicators?
Social life at The Ethel Walker School was strongly connected to money, which was the norm back in the 1970s. But, with trips and going places, the School took care of the costs, which meant I could participate in everything everyone else was participating in.
To fit in, we used money to invest in halter tops for dances and events. There was not much financial insecurity, especially with the uniforms, but the main class indicator was Bass Weejuns shoes. Another factor that indicated class were names. Famous names, or just names of future donors to the school, were apparent.
“Skinfolk ain’t kinfolk” stood out in the excerpt Ms. Catherine Reed read in our English 11 Honors class, especially because we believed that those who were like us were our community here at first too. How did race affect your outlook on Walker’s ?
Allyship consisted of manipulation when I was a student here.
Do you wish there had been affinity groups during your time at Walker’s?
I came in 1972, and the first Black student to graduate from Walker’s graduated in 1971. Survival was my priority at Walker’s. Affinity groups would have been nice, though.
Did you feel a desire to code switch?
Everyone code switches.
Do you feel you have fully taken ownership of your identity as a Black woman?
I would like to think I take pride in my blackness! I don’t want you to be colorblind, I want you to see all of it! [I have learned] that there is more than one way of being Black and female, and all [ways] are equally valid.
What, then, is your perception on selfsegregation?
The politics of self-segregation depend on if it’s meant to do good or meant to do bad. Behind it all is language and effective communication. With a good sense of self already, exposure to self-segregation will not do much harm, exposure being a spark. Internalization of stereotypes is when self-segregation begins to do harm.
Walker’s was foreign to those in Pine Bluff, AR. It was published in a paper that I got into college at 15 years old when in reality I was just going to boarding school. It felt like I was off doing something else. Walker’s was an insulated environment, a cocoon.
What are your feelings toward any microaggressions you faced at Walker’s?
Because I was exposed to racism so prematurely, Walker’s taught me to accept human frailty, and to acknowledge that weakness.
Did Walker’s change your opinion about race in general?
Walker’s did not change anything about my perception of race. It could have made me more aware, but I was from Pine Bluff, AR. My upbringing, though, I credit [for] helping me take ownership of my blackness. Being told I was loved, feeling loved, being complimented and told I was beautiful gave me self-confidence and a sense of self. I was able to take full ownership of all of this melanin. This was all nurtured at Walker’s.
How did the all-girls environment prepare you for life beyond the classroom?
It taught me to gather my sense of self and determination and to expose my children to various topics in order to spark their educational curiosity. At Walker’s I had the privilege to see my first Broadway play, which was Hamlet — an amazing experience. This factored DR. PENDLETON’S into giving my own children further WORDS OF ADVICE: educational opportunities, and so I worked hard to ensure my children were
“Get some gumption, given exposure to the world. even if you have to borrow someone else’s. Would you have liked for your
Fake it ’til you make it.” daughter, Lauren, to attend The
Ethel Walker School?
I went to an all women’s college, [which influenced me] to maintain the expectation of women fulfilling leadership roles. The education you receive at Walker’s is so special. You are receiving education with headphones on to enable you to reap the most out of your education you can [while being completely focused].
What is something you want us, especially as women of color, women of Black heritage, to take as advice for our futures and the futures of others like us at Walker’s?
Be and embrace who you are and all of its glory. Each person has three things: Self love comes first. Second comes skin, the wrapping. A lot of times people get too hung up on the wrapping and fail to see what’s inside. Third, and most important, is the gift inside.
